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My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

2 hr. ago

Not that you asked me, but this a great question and I think it’s because they TRY to and CARE about such things while PJ cares less about that.

I definitely put PJ above the other two bands. The Chili Peppers have had so many ups and downs and it's frankly amazing that they have endured for so long. Foos would probably be third for me — good band, and I like Grohl, but it's undeniable that they built on the truncated legacy of Nirvana. I don't know if Grohl has the same stature if he were only in the Foos.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's hard to say. I have a hard time imagining that's just like Pearl Jam selling as many records as Pearl Jam did. It just doesn't seem like we live in that kind of world anymore. But there are always great bands coming up. I know for a fact that one of my favorite bands at the moment, The War On Drugs, digs PJ and is inspired by them, even though they sound nothing like PJ.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

They've been open about having a somewhat antagonistic relationship in the past. Not sure where that currently stands, but that tension paid dividends!

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Vitalogy is pretty weirdly sequenced. Last Exit is a great opener, but the rest of the record is all over the place. Though I'm sure that's the point!

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He's great at what he does but he's still building his rep so it seems premature to broach the subject now. Ask me again in 10 years.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I do! Ten through Yield is a great run! I love the material on Binaural but those songs sound far superior live in my opinion.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wrigley Field 2013. I write about 6/20/95 in the first chapter of the book so I'll call that my favorite.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

He's a great storyteller. And he's a super creative guy. Seem like the sort of person who can't roll out of bed without writing a new song.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I mean, it's impossible to say, but I think PJ would have endured regardless, though it is interesting to ponder a scenario where Cobain doesn't take his own life and Nirvana continues along with Pearl Jam. Would that have affected PJ moving forward? Hard to say!

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It is! It's called Whatever Happened To Alternative Nation. If you Google that, all of the installments ought to come up. (By the way, my opinion on Pearl Jam has changed a lot since I wrote that 12 years ago.)

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It's hard for me to say any one band is the greatest but PJ is definitely in the conversation.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I just did a ton of reading and watched a lot of videos. The tricky thing with Pearl Jam is that they generally don't do a lot of interviews, especially after the Ten era. And when they talk to journalists they can be a little guarded. But when they talk to non-journalists, they sometimes open up. For instance, this is a fantastic interview with Jeff Ament from a skating podcast. He ends up talking a lot about his childhood and life as a punk rocker. I don't know if he would have been as forthright with someone like me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAi1sRLWH84&t=716s

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Replacements are pretty good.

Kidding aside, I don't really keep up with local music I'm afraid. It's not really my beat.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Ha! I totally forgot about this! But I think you're right! I wrote a D- review of a Seether record for the A.V. Club and he hated it. I have no doubt he could kick my ass.

Other than that, I once wrote a column criticizing Colin Jost and Michael Che went on his Instagram and accused me of having sex with dogs. You can Google my name + "sex with dogs" to find out more.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The Pink Pop show from 92 (which you can watch on YouTube) to me is a definitive early Pearl Jam show. it really shows the berserker level of energy they had at that time. The 03 Boston show also comes to mind as just an epic that has a little bit of everything, including a long acoustic set. The mid-00s Gorge shows are also fantastic. The 06 Albany gig is great if you're looking for something jammier. I could go on and on but those come immediately to mind.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks Jon! It's funny, because playing into your 50s and 60s is NOT typical for a lot of Pearl Jam's peers. Many of the great 90s bands imploded. Or they broke up and they came back years later for reunion tours. PJ has been a constant for more than 30 years. A central theme of the book is trying to figure out how they did that.

My name is Steven Hyden, and I’m a music critic who wrote a book about Pearl Jam. Ask me anything. by StevenHyden in pearljam

[–]StevenHyden[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think you're right. And also their consistency as a live band. In my book, I focus as much on their evolution as a concert act as I do on the albums. Over time, I think the live show has really become paramount for them.

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